Five years after the trial was halted, the Ugandan Supreme Court delivered an eagerly awaited decision in the war crimes case against Thomas Kwoyelo [IJT-176]. But instead of providing clarity, the ruling to lift the former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander’s amnesty has been slammed by critics, calling it an example of double standards and selective prosecution.

Uganda's decision to support the transfer of Dominic Ongwen [IJT-174] to the International Criminal Court (ICC), instead of trying the notorious Lord's Resistance Army commander at home, casts a shadow on the county's ability to hold domestic war crimes trials.

The International Crimes Division (ICD) was created in July 2008 as part of efforts to prove Uganda’s capacity to investigate top commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). But today the ICD’s work is being impeded by the competing demands of prosecution and amnesty.